Observations of a Sorta-Want-A-Be Kosher and Torah Observant Gentile (at least on the things I think I can do without)

After a couple of weeks of snubbing pork, here are some observations:
1. This is hard! Much harder for me, in fact, than the wilderness- wandering folks of Exodus. I am almost sure of it.
2. My lifestyle must change if I’m to be porkless. I love breakfast tacos—the sausage and egg variety. Or bacon and egg will work. Have you noticed that ALL breakfast meat is pork? I never realized that before now. I certainly am willing to substitute turkey sausage and bacon; however, Whataburger doesn’t give me that option.
3. My culture does not have room for this foolishness of God.
4. My friends treat me differently. They look out for me. They plan ahead and go out of their way to accommodate my experiment.
5. My friends treat me differently. They wonder how far I’m going to take this. Will I become a weirdo? Hmmm! Now, I wonder, “How far am I going to take this? Am I a weirdo?”
6. Regarding Sabbath, it’s easy to be Sabbath observant these days—it’s summer vacation. Will I have the drive to carry it through when my employer tests me on this resolve? Am I ready to trust God through the consequences? Will my co-workers treat me differently? Will they think I’m a weirdo?
7. I talk about it too much. I think I draw too much attention to the fact that I’m not eating pork and not working on the Sabbath. That makes everyone uncomfortable. “What can we eat around Bryan? Will he approve? Will it offend? Does Bryan think he’s better than me? Is Bryan just a weirdo?”
8. I don’t want any attention for this. I just want to do what I do while everyone else comfortably and confidently eats what they want to eat.
9. I am a weirdo. This is, of course, the whole point of the mitzvot. “Be holy, because I am holy.” For the experiment to succeed, everyone must see me as different—my culture, my friends, my co-workers, and myself.
10. This is very hard!!